SCP-3891

Paradise Lost and Found

SCP-3891 (this image confirmed safe for viewing)

Special Containment Procedures

By agreement with the United States and Marshall Islands governments, the Foundation has established Site-68 on Kwajalein Atoll for SCP-3891 containment. Two Foundation Cyclone-class patrol vessels (SCPS Arethusa and SCPS Leander) with aviation support are to enforce a perimeter 50km from SCP-3891, with the cover of a US military restricted zone. Any civilian vessels or aircraft approaching this area are to be rerouted. Under no circumstances are vessels or aircraft, Foundation or otherwise, to enter within 10km of SCP-3891, or attempt to view SCP-3891 with magnification aids.

Direct viewing of photographs, video records, or SCP-3891 itself is prohibited prior to cognitohazard risk assessment. Publicly available map and satellite data has been altered to remove images of SCP-3891, with Foundation webcrawler 3891-PAUL tasked to search and remove any online images. All images of SCP-3891 are to be digitally analysed and converted into textual descriptions by an automated system, with the original information stored in the Site-68 archives protected by standard cognitohazard precautions.

No communication is to be attempted with any individuals on SCP-3891, and persons who have completed travel there are to be considered deceased. All other individuals subject to SCP-3891's effects should be administered Class-C amnestics, and terminated if effects persist.

Description

SCP-3891 is a coral atoll at coordinates [REDACTED] in the Marshall Islands. It consists of 13 islands surrounding a central lagoon, with a total land area of 3.8km². Viewing SCP-3891 both in reality or recordings is cognitohazardous with an intensity proportional to the distance of the viewer or recording from SCP-3891. This effect involves heightened fear responses, pessimistic and hopeless thought patterns, and a belief that the world is either experiencing or approaching some form of apocalyptic scenario consistent with the subject's premorbid belief system. For example, highly religious individuals tend towards thoughts related to eschatological events, whereas individuals who closely follow geopolitical and military matters may develop heightened concerns about thermonuclear war. This is combined with a perception that SCP-3891 is a place of safety and a desire to approach it; is is unclear whether this desire is a component of SCP-3891's cognitohazardous nature or an expected result of its primary effect.

A distance of 10km is the maximum observed range for this effect to occur, and at this point it is reversible with amnestics. However, if subjects successfully reach SCP-3891, its cognitohazardous effects become permanent. Subjects affected in this manner invariably believe that human civilisation and often the Earth itself (with the exception of SCP-3891) have been destroyed by some form of end-of-the-world scenario. If forcibly taken to areas outside of SCP-3891, they will perceive these as having been destroyed, and other individuals as hallucinations, paranormal entities or occasionally survivors (who they will attempt to convince to return to SCP-3891).

Since coming to Foundation attention, 191 individuals, including [REDACTED] Foundation personnel, are known to have travelled to SCP-3891. Although the cognitohazardous properties of SCP-3891 preclude detailed investigation, these individuals are presumed deceased given the inability of SCP-3891 to support any significant population for extended periods of time.

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING DOCUMENT IS LEVEL 4/3891 CLASSIFIED

ATTEMPTS TO ACCESS THIS DOCUMENT WITHOUT LEVEL 4/3891 AUTHORISATION WILL BE LOGGED AND WILL LEAD TO DISCIPLINARY ACTION.

BY ACCESSING THIS DOCUMENT YOU CONSENT TO LATER AMNESTIC TREATMENT.

INPUT ACCESS CODE.

ACCESS RESTRICTION FAILURE. UNAUTHORISED ACCESS IN PROGRESS. ALERT SYSTEM TRIGGERED.

Addendum: Via remote surveillance and automated data transcription of recordings, a number of additional anomalous effects relating to SCP-3891 have been observed. SCP-3891 has a permanent population of between 250 and 300 individuals, who subsist on naturally occurring resources on the atoll. SCP-3891 has an anomalous abundance of these, including fish, plants and fauna (primarily various species of birds, as well as introduced animals such as pigs and chickens). Despite a gradual growth in the population of SCP-3891 and available data reaching back to the mid-20th century, no depletion of these stocks has been observed.

Other anomalous effects observed on SCP-3891 itself include the following:

lack of biological ageing amongst its inhabitants, with several matching the descriptions of missing persons from as early as the 1920s
rapid regeneration of injuries and resistance to disease
lack of visible particulate contamination of the water, inconsistent with the waste expected to be produced by the population
resistance to extreme weather, observed in 1991 when Typhoon Paka passed over the area without causing any visible effects on SCP-3891 or its inhabitants
an absence of violence or disharmony amongst its inhabitants, despite the presence of those from backgrounds which would have historically been considered hostile to one another¹
inhabitants demonstrating anomalously high levels of subjective wellbeing and spiritual contentment
being a place of safety, free from the troubles of the world

The society observed on SCP-3891 practices a hunter-gatherer lifestyle, but with a significant amount of leisure time given the widespread availability of resources on SCP-3891. The language of communication is a previously unknown creole mixture of English, Marshallese and Japanese, presumably originating from the backgrounds of SCP-3891 inhabitants. There is no evidence of any social hierarchy or formal leadership structure, likely due to the lack of disputes. Most inhabitants are polyamorous, but with childbirth being only rarely observed.² Activities of the SCP-3891 society involve water-based leisure activities, beach sports, various festivals involving food and dance, visual arts, and reading books previously brought to the island. Sounds beautiful, doesn't it?

I've had enough of all this. If you're reading this, you must have access to the database, just like I do. Haven't you seen what's happening here? It's all falling apart. There are hundreds of Keter entities that could end the world any day now, and the numbers just keep growing by the day. Don't tell me you think we can keep a lid on everything forever. Even if we do our jobs, just look at what's happening all over the world, with politicians and generals and the rest of the self-styled elite running 'civilisation' into the ground. There's nothing we in the Foundation are going to do to stop that.

They say SCP-3891 makes you believe the world is going to end, but you don't need an SCP to believe that. Everyone knows this will happen, sooner or later. There's no danger here; this is the only place in the world without it.

I'm going to go as soon as I can, but this is my gift to you, and everyone else who reads this file.

I'll see you in paradise.